In a heart-warming gesture, a local court in Bihar waived off a loan taken by a woman ten years ago when her eight-year-old boy came to repay it. Taking his age in to consideration, the Lok Adalat in Begusarai district waived the amount he was asked to pay by a bank following his mother’s death.

According to a report by the Gulf News, in 2006, Anita Devi of Singhaul village in Begusarai had taken a loan of Rs 21,000 from the State Bank of India to run a business but her husband, Sunil Mochi, showed no interest in running it. Two years later, Sudhir Kumar was born to the couple.

Kumar’s mother Devi died in a road accident in 2012, and his father ran away days later, leaving him behind. Kumar is now under the care of his relatives.

Recently, the boy received a notice from the SBI, asking him to repay the loan that was taken by his mother, 10 years ago. The boy sought help from his villagers after he received the notice. They quickly came to Kumar’s aid and raised Rs 5,000 to pay the first installment.

The orphan boy turned up at the Lok Adalat to pay the next installment. The district judge-cum-chairman of the Lok Adalat, Gangotri Ram Tripathi, after considering Kumar’s age, financial situation and lack of family support, summoned bank officials and ordered the waiver of the loan against the Rs 5,000 deposited earlier. The judge also issued a receipt of settlement of the loan.